"I couldn't give you up."
"...I know."
As the daughter of Black Widow, Nyla-Rose is used to the craziness that has become her life. When sudden truths are revealed and she's finally ready to take a break from everything, an intergalactic sociopath s...
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Natasha could sense something different about Nyla-Rose. It was just a few days ago that she'd been so overwhelmingly happy when Steve had managed to break them out of the Raft, but things weren't the same. She knew it wouldn't be after everything that had happened, but Natasha often scolded herself for trying to make Nyla-Rose live such a sheltered life. To shield her from the one she had to live. As a mother, she wanted what was best for her daughter, but how could she give her that when all she wanted to do was protect her?
Now, she sat at Clint's dinner table with her hands wrapped around a warm cup of jasmine tea and her thoughts so occupied that she didn't notice Lila tugging on her arm and holding out a drawing. She gasped in dramatic amazement and took the piece of paper from the girl.
"What's this? It's beautiful!"
Lila giggled softly before pointing to each stick figure.
"That's me..and Mommy and Daddy...there's Cooper and Nyla-Rose! And there's Auntie Nat!" She finished triumphantly.
Natasha wrapped the girl in a big bear hug, making her giggle even more.
"I love it so much, Lila. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Auntie Nat!"
She sighed as Lila flounced off with a proud smile on her face and almost ran headfirst into her dad.
"Woah there, cowgirl," he chuckled and ruffled her hair before she continued to run along, disappearing into the front yard and leaving behind a fast growing distress that Clint could immediately read in his best friend.
There was no hesitation in accepting them into their home and Laura would have it no other way, believing that if they needed someplace to stay for awhile, it would be nowhere else but there. He knew they needed some time to regroup before disappearing and although he was officially retired, that didn't mean he couldn't host guests. Their identities didn't need to be revealed, of course.
He might have been pushing it, but he was Clint Barton. He was always pushing it.
Sitting across the table, he took her hands in his and let a moment of silence pass before asking what was wrong.
"I'm worried about Nyla," Natasha admitted, "she hasn't been eating and she hardly sleeps. She barely even steps foot out of the room. Not even when Cooper and Li want to spend time with her. Ever since she came back from the Raft...I don't know."
The redhead shrugged, not wanting to seem overly dramatic.
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid."
Clint slowly nodded.
Paranoid.
How could he possibly tell her? It's not that he didn't want to. Tony's comment towards Nyla-Rose had him seeing red. He couldn't imagine how it would make Natasha feel, but that wasn't his call. Nyla-Rose had been distant from everyone the day after Steve had rescued them and it bothered Clint that he knew what was eating her up on the inside when her own mother didn't. Sam didn't accept the responsibility of telling Nat on account of fearing for his life. Clint didn't expect him to, either.
